Chirisa stars in Whitney biopic

By Bruce Ndlovu

Zimbabwean actor Tongayi Chirisa added another feather to his cap by being part of the cast of the Whitney Houston biopic, Whitney, which premiered on DStv’s Lifetime channel last Sunday.

Chirisa featured in the movie as the late legendary’s singer’s brother Gary Houston.

Directed by award-winning actress Angela Bassett in her directorial debut, Whitney chronicles the headline-making relationship between the vocalist extraordinaire and her husband, Bobby Brown.

Chronicling every step from the time they first met at the very height of their celebrity status, to their courtship and ultimately disastrous marriage.

Throughout Whitney’s life, difficulties followed the couple while they dealt with the overwhelming rewards and consequences of the fame and fortune created by Whitney’s meteoric rise to superstardom.

The channel has previously aired similar movies, including a movie about the late Rn’B sensation Aaliyah, and Hollywood starlet Brittany Murphy.

Chirisa is no stranger to the limelight, having bagged blockbuster Hollywood roles in his career.

While he rose to prominence playing the role of detective Trevor Davies in Zimbabwe’s first soapie Studio 263, he has gone on to scale greater heights, featuring in several high-profile productions in the United States of America and in neighbouring South Africa.

The actor co-starred with Leon Schuster in Mr Bones 2: Back from the Past, where he played the role of the Hekule, the King of Kuvukiland.

The 32-year-old Chirisa also landed a major role as Man Friday in the series, Crusoe while he also made appearances on long series NCIS: Los Angeles in addition to roles on American Horror Story, Diamonds, Skin and Mrs Mandela.

Chirisa’s role has however not been without controversy, with the movie last week receiving condemnation from the Houston family for its depiction of the star and her tumultuous relationship with Bobby Brown. B Metro